Assignment 2

Guide to submitting Research Assignment and Standard of PhD Writing and Bloom’s Taxonomy.

· APA Standard – 6th/7th Edition

· Bloom's Taxonomy

Introduction

Bloom's Taxonomy identifies six major categories of thinking skills starting with the simple recall of information to the ability to evaluate information. This taxonomy is often used to guide the development of learning objectives and activities but can also be helpful for learners completing coursework. Bloom's Taxonomy can help you determine the levels of and prepare responses appropriate to discussion questions and assignments throughout your program.

Knowledge

• Question Cues o List, define, tell, describe, identify, show, label, collect, examine, tabulate,

quote, name, who, when, where.

• Skills Used o Observe and repeat information from other sources such as recalling dates,

events, places, or major ideas.

• Assumptions o All published material is equally valid and worthy of study and inclusion.

Research and nonresearch articles are the same. Main ideas are not

distinguished from less important ideas.

• Written Assignment Organization and Content o Organizes by articles read, rather than topic. Lists authors' findings without

summative comments or integration. Uses tangental or superfluous information from source materials. Overuses direct quotes from authors and does not describe main ideas in own words.

• Strategies to Move to Next Level o As you read each article, summarize main ideas from each article in your own

words on note cards or in an electronic document.

Comprehension

• Question Cues o Summarize, describe, interpret, contrast, predict, associate, distinguish,

estimate, differentiate, discuss, extend.

• Skills Used o Understand meaning and translate information into own words.

• Assumptions o Make many of the same assumptions as a learner using the knowledge

domain.

• Written Assignment Organization and Content

o Distinguishes main ideas of the articles reviewed. Similar organization to knowledge domain, but the content is based on main ideas from source articles. Does not just recite everything read.

• Strategies to Move to Next Level o At end of each article summary, develop an explicit and direct link from the

source article to your written assignment. For each summary, ask "How does this relate to my topic?" If it does not relate, or the relationship is strained, then exclude it from the paper.

Application

• Question Cues o Apply, demonstrate, calculate, complete, illustrate, show, solve, examine,

modify, relate, change, classify, experiment, discover.

• Skills Used o Use information, methods, concepts, theories in new and/or unfamiliar

situations. Solve problems using acquired skills or knowledge.

• Assumptions o Make many of the same assumptions as a student using the knowledge

domain, particularly regarding the lack of evaluation of the relative merit of publications. Believe that selecting main ideas from reading related to the topic and making explicit connections to the current topic is sufficient.

• Written Assignment Organization and Content o Organizes by articles rather than topics or themes. Directly and explicitly

links source material to paper topic.

• Strategies to Move to Next Level o Note details necessary to assess the merit of each source article. Develop a

list of questions that can be asked of every source article to determine essential components related to your written assignment. Assess validity of information and whether conclusions are based on findings.

Analysis

• Question Cues o Analyze, separate, order, explain, connect, classify, arrange, divide, compare,

select, explain, infer.

• Skills Used o Identify component parts of information, relationships, and patterns or

themes. Recognize hidden meanings and/or multiple perspectives of

information.

• Assumptions o Same assumptions regarding lack of evaluation of publications. Details and

component parts are more important than how these findings are

interrelated.

• Written Assignment Organization and Content

o Directly and explicitly links source material to the topic of the paper topic by identifying relevant components. Does not integrate findings from source materials by themes or topics.

• Strategies to Move to Next Level o Review all source materials thoroughly and develop summaries with detailed

information. From these summaries, develop a comprehensive and thematically based outline before beginning to write.

Synthesis

• Question Cues o Combine, integrate, modify, rearrange, substitute, plan, create, design, invent,

what if?, compose, formulate, prepare, generalize, rewrite.

• Skills Used o Integrate and combine ideas into a new pattern or whole. Generalize from

given facts, relate knowledge from several areas. Predict and draw

conclusions from information.

• Assumptions o Lack evaluative criteria for source articles. Focuses on information that

supports premise of current topic or argument and excludes information that does not. Has difficulty developing overarching themes or determining best options when information conflicts.

• Written Assignment Organization and Content o Organizes paper thematically rather than by source articles. Presents main

ideas and source material that supports and questions those ideas. Discusses results from source articles at the end of each major theme but does not include a systematic, objective evaluation of ideas.

• Strategies to Move to Next Level o Determine what constitutes strong and weak source articles. Use criteria to

assess the quality of research and other articles reviewed and value and use information from source materials based on the criteria.

Evaluation

• Question Cues o Assess, decide, rank, grade, test, measure, recommend, convince, select,

judge, explain, discriminate, support, conclude, compare, summarize.

• Skills Used o Assess the value of evidence, theories, or presentations based on reasoned

argument. Compare and discriminate between ideas. Recognize self

subjectivity.

• Assumptions o Distinguishes between research and nonresearch articles. Includes all sides

of an issue and can determine best course of action when information conflicts based on personalized evaluation criteria.

• Written Assignment Organization and Content o Organizes paper thematically. Analyzes and critiques source articles based

on strengths and limitations. Acknowledges conflicting information and/or findings. Discusses the quality of the source articles especially when research produces contradictory results. Presents both sides of an argument with minimal researcher bias.

• Strategies to Move to Next Level o You have arrived at the highest level of Bloom's Taxonomy.

References

· Counselling Services - University of Victoria. (2005). Learning skills program: Bloom's taxonomy. Retrieved July 1, from http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/handouts/bloom.html

· Granello, D. H. (2001). Promoting cognitive complexity in graduate written work: using Bloom's taxonomy as a pedagogical tool to improve literature reviews. Counselor Education & Supervision, 40(4), 292-307.